Hoping for a Change

My name is Melissa, and I've been an on-and-off dieter ever since I started college about 2 and a half years ago. At first, I was exercising every day and eating salads and I lost about 15 pounds in one semester. I was feeling great and was increasingly motivated. But about two months into my second semester, my roommate (who was my best friend at college) and I started fighting and the tension between us made me miserable. I stopped going to the gym, and started eating all of those horrible foods again. The emotional stress completely eroded my self confidence and motivation. Within a few months, I gained all of that weight back. The rapid weight gain made my emotional situation worse and I found it impossible to get back to the diet and exercise regiment that I had committed to before.

Now here I am, two years later. I continuously gained and lost any where from ten pounds every couple of months. Its definitely been a physical and mental roller coaster. The excuses for not eating right or not working out kept increasing as time went on, and that's not the person I want to be any more.

I just got engaged about two months ago to the man I've been dating for 5 1/2 years. We are getting married January 14, 2012 in our dream venue. I want to be back to the thirty pound skinnier version of myself that he met years ago when we start our new life together. I want to feel as good as I did when I was losing weight. And I want to put and end to that guilty feeling I always get from making excuses. This time, I want to make sure I lose the weight in a healthy and sustainable way. I have joined this site with a couple of my friends and I am hoping that this time will be different. I believe with support of those with the same goals as myself will make the process much more successful. If anyone wants to add me as a friend, I will gladly exchange stories / emotional support.

Good luck to everyone trying to make a difference in their lives; it will be a long and trying path, but I believe that we have the power to change anything!